Thursday, July 23, 2009

Whats up people. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately but your favorite bartender has crossed over into the world of promotion and event planning as well. Things have slowed down and I'm back to posting on a regular basis. I also once a week will let it be readers choice..You have anything you ever wanted to ask a bartender I will pick the best subject and post something about it. This post is strictly a small vent session, but will have some helpful hints for my fellow mixologists. In this line of work, customer service is the key. The bartenders service and attitude will determine #1 How well his/her night goes as far as tips and, #2 how well the party/club/bar operates for that evening. One bad bartender who couldn't leave his/her attitude or issues at the door could ruin the evening for everyone. Here is an example...

Last month I was able to go to New York for the annual Bar Show. It was a great experience and I certainly will be back next year as well as visiting Tales of the Cocktail too. But myself and my buddy, who also is a trained mixologist(shameless plug for you Ramon...lol) were hanging out in Times Square the day before the actual show. We stopped at a bar(which shall remain nameless) and decided to have a few drinks. The bar decorum was nice, and they had a happy hour special that ran all day long. Needless to say we were excited about that. So we sit at the bar. Its 2 bartenders and a barback working. We wait about 15 minutes before the bartender even greets us. Then this cat acts as if he has somewhere better to be. We try to make small talk, since neither one of us really knows that much about the happenings in New York that night, and he completely ignores us. I was pissed and it showed in his tip.

So, as i was preparing to fly back to Chicago, me and my buddy go into the same bar to have some lunch. Different bartender there and the service was great. Small bar talk at the bar with another patron, turns out he has an artist that is looking for a record deal. Now, I have a family member that is artist development rep for a large record company and is always looking for more talent. So we exchange info, and guess who his artist is??? The same bartender who treated his 2 customers like garbage. Needless to say he has been calling and emailing me like crazy.

So the moral of this post is, to all my bartender buddies, treat every customer as if they are your only customer. You never know who is on the other side of the bar when you are serving. If you having a bad day, you have to check that at the door before you start your shift. Our profession is Customer Service. We are not only bartenders, we are marriage counselors, a shoulder to lean on, big brothers/sisters, and sometimes just a get a way from the everyday stress for our customers. SO always have your gameface on and be prepared to give it your all, Because you never know who is on the other side of the bar.

Ok ill be back to my regular posts later this week, but i had to get that vent session out.